by I. T. Lucas
Javier looked like he might but then shook his head. “I don’t give a fuck one way or the other. I trust Turner, and I’ll follow his instructions whether I understand them or not. My job is to catch the bad guys, free the girls, and bring them here, and then take them home. I don’t need to know anything else.” He walked away with a disgusted expression on his severe face.
“Spoken like a true soldier,” Onegus said quietly. “Admirable.”
“Are you jealous? Would you like us to be such an obedient bunch and not ask any questions?” Anandur teased.
“I can dream.”
Chapter 38: Andrew
A strong sense of déjà vu assailed Andrew as he watched the display above the elevator doors, the numbers getting smaller as he neared the dungeon level of the basement. Not that the posh apartment Amanda and Dalhu had shared way back then looked anything like the word implied, but it still held the new Doomer behind lock and key as securely as any prison cell.
Once again, Andrew’s lie-detecting skills were needed, and he wondered whether the transition had sharpened or diminished them. He hadn’t had a chance to put them to the test yet.
Without paying attention to where he was going, Andrew’s feet carried him to the right place, and he knocked on the deceptively ordinary-looking door. The thing and its jamb were reinforced to withstand an immortal male’s strength. The Doomer couldn’t break free.
Andrew was curious to meet this latest defector.
The guy was either a hero or a mole, and it was Andrew’s call that would determine the Doomer’s future. He was used to the burden of responsibility. His lie-detecting skills had been put to good use during his long years of service.
Kian opened the door, and Andrew walked in. As first impressions went, the Doomer looked like a decent fellow; clean-shaven, his eyes betraying his worry but lacking hostility or deceit. He was about Andrew’s height, the new post-transition one, and had an average build for an immortal male; wide shouldered and muscular, but lean. Like their human counterparts, only those who pumped iron religiously bulked up into bodybuilder territory.
“Robert the hero, I assume.” He offered his hand. “I’m Andrew.”
The guy looked embarrassed as he shook it with a strong hand.
“Carol?” Andrew tilted his head sideways to peek behind the two big males blocking her from view. He’d seen pictures of her as part of the briefing for her rescue mission, but he’d never met her in person. Like every other clan member, she must’ve been at Syssi’s wedding, but they hadn’t been introduced, and he didn’t remember her.
She was even prettier than her picture, with a riot of blond curls cascading around her small face, and big blue eyes. When she got up to greet him, he was surprised at how soft she looked. About Syssi’s height but a little more padded than his sister, she was the classic temptress; childlike yet sexy, innocent looking but tough as nails. She had to be to come out unscathed from her ordeal. Still, he was well aware that warriors carried scars on the inside as well as on the outside, and Carol might be scarred as hell and just hiding it well.
“That’s me. The big troublemaker who caused a war.”
“You were just the catalyst. It was bound to happen with or without you.” He offered his hand, and she shook it.
Her smile was genuine. “Thanks for letting me off the hook.”
“Shall we begin?” Kian asked. The guy had no patience for small talk.
“Do I need to sit next to him?” Robert asked Kian.
Andrew took a seat across from the Doomer. “No, you don’t. I’m curious why you asked, though,” he said.
“Edna,” both Kian and Carol answered.
“Oh, so I’m an afterthought…” he teased. “You brought the big guns first.”
“You weren’t here in the morning.” Kian apparently had taken his affront seriously.
Andrew didn’t mind, on the contrary, it was good practice to hear another expert’s opinion. “What did she have to say?”
“She was undecided.”
Andrew glanced at Robert again, searching for what had been missing from his first impression. For Edna to be unsure, the guy had to be complicated as hell. And yet, he seemed perfectly ordinary. Luckily for Andrew, looks could be deceptive, but words, when spoken to his face could not.
“Okay, Robert. I’m going to ask you a bunch of questions, and I want you to answer them as truthfully as you can. Think of me as a lie detector, just better.”
“You can do it? Discern a lie from truth?”
“Without exception.”
Robert pointed at Kian. “And he trusts your judgment?”
“Completely,” Kian answered.
The guy grinned happily. “Then I’m good. I was worried you guys would never believe me.”
“Truth,” Andrew said. “Do you want me to ask the questions or do you want to do it?” he asked Kian.
“Go ahead. You’re the expert.”
“Very well. First, Robert, I want you to tell me a lie.” Andrew needed to test his skill before proceeding.
“About what?”
“Anything. What color are my eyes?”
“Blue.”
“You were supposed to lie, Robert.”
“Sorry.” The guy rubbed his neck.
“What’s my hair color?”
“Brown.”
Damn, the guy was either not so smart or had a real hard time lying. “Again, you were supposed to lie.”
“Okay, but you need to ask me something that isn’t as obvious. I can’t help it.”
What could he ask Robert that the guy would be inclined to lie about?
Something about Carol, he wouldn’t want to say anything negative about her. From the briefing, Andrew knew that she was a pothead, but Robert might not know it. What else? She didn’t work, didn’t volunteer, and spent most of her time hanging out with friends and clubbing.
“Is Carol a hardworking person?”
Robert hesitated. “Yes,” he finally answered.
A clear and resounding lie. Hallelujah. “That was a lie. Congratulations.”
“Hey, not nice,” Carol pouted.
Kian crossed his arms over his chest and lifted a brow.
“Fine.” With a huff, she mimicked his pose.
It was time to start the serious questions.
“Why did you rescue Carol?”
“I couldn’t stand the torture. She was so brave, but I was afraid her mind would snap, and she would become catatonic. No one can go through what she did, day in and day out, not even a trained warrior, and not lose his mind.”
“Truth.”
Kian shifted in his seat, and Andrew had to avert his gaze. The guilt was as overwhelming as it was irrational. If they could’ve been faster, they could’ve spared her days of torture. But that had been impossible. They had done all they could.
“Did you know that by helping her you were leaving everything behind for good?”
“Yes.”
“Truth. You had no ulterior motives?”
“I did. The most compelling motive there is. An immortal female of my own.”
“Truth. Did you demand from Carol that she be with you in exchange for your help?”
“I did. I asked for three months, hoping she would grow to care for me and consider staying.”
Andrew glanced at Carol. She looked conflicted, as if she hadn’t made up her mind yet.
“Truth. How did you like your life in the Brotherhood?”
Robert shrugged. “It was all I knew. I hated the battles, even though I did what was required of me. Getting the second in command position with Sharim was a reward, and it worked out fine until he started torturing the first girl and then Carol. I hated him then. I wanted him dead.”
“Truth. Was there anything that you liked doing?”
“Since Sharim’s wasn’t a real combat unit, he put me in charge of all the administrative work and procurement. When he started collecting girls, he put me in char
ge of seeing to their needs. I liked doing that. I’m organized and methodical. I was good at it.”
“Truth. If you could, hypothetically, would you go back to the Brotherhood?”
This time Robert didn’t answer right away. It took him a couple of minutes. “Depends on whether Carol decides to stick with me. I’d rather be in the Brotherhood than alone. If I could have a different commander, that is.”
“Truth.”
Andrew looked at Kian, checking if his brother-in-law was satisfied with Robert’s answers.
Kian lifted a finger, indicating he was taking over. “Unlike Andrew, my questions are more direct and require a yes or no answer.”
Robert nodded.
“Are you a mole?”
“No.”
“Truth.”
“Did you come here to gather information about us?”
“No.”
“Truth.”
“Would you ever consider selling information about us to gain access to the Brotherhood or for any other reason or purpose?”
“I’m not that stupid.”
“I need a yes or no answer.”
“No, I would never disclose any information about you or your clan for any reason you can think of. I’m not a mad dog. I wouldn’t bite the hand that feeds me.”
“Truth.”
Kian clapped his hands on his thighs. “Okay then. He pushed up to his feet and waited for Robert to do the same. “Welcome to the clan, Robert.” He offered his hand.
“That’s it? No more questions?” Robert asked as they shook on it.
“I don’t have time now. But later we will discuss what job you can take on. You’re not completely free yet, there is a probation period during which you’ll be wearing a locator cuff and will be restricted to the keep, but you no longer need to stay here. I’ll have Ingrid find you an apartment upstairs.”
“Thank you.” Robert shook Kian’s hand again then shook Andrew’s. “And you too, Andrew. I appreciate you coming here to help me out.”
“You’re welcome, but I did it for this guy, not you.” Andrew pointed at Kian. “Now, if my services are no longer needed, I would like to bid you farewell and go up to my fiancée who I haven’t seen since morning, and who is waiting for me impatiently.”
Kian offered Andrew his hand. “Thank you, as always, invaluable.” He slapped Andrew's back.
“What do we do now?” Carol asked.
“You wait here for William, who is going to bring the cuff, and then for Ingrid to show you to your new place.”
“Thank you.” Carol gave Kian a quick hug and then hugged Andrew. “You too.”
“No problem.” Andrew kissed her cheek, belatedly remembering that immortals were funny about other males touching their mates, him included. He glanced at Robert, but the guy was either too relieved at the moment to notice or didn’t share that affliction.
Chapter 39: Anandur
The wait was nerve-wracking.
The human team was spread out, hiding in several strategic locations around the harbor and waiting for the customers and their purchased human cargo to disembark.
Until the yacht left the harbor again and their part in the mission began, Onegus and Anandur were stuck waiting in their hotel room.
For lack of more productive things to do, Anandur watched the live feed from the drone following the yacht. At least he would know exactly when it docked. The big question was the time of departure. Tonight or next morning, and if it stayed overnight, would Lana attempt to contact him?
Anandur could only imagine how betrayed the crew must’ve felt. They’d been expecting a rescue by now. Lana was probably cussing him out, using every Russian curse known to men. With a sigh, he glanced at the laptop screen again.
A moment later, Onegus stood up. “I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up in an hour, and then you go. Watching that thing serves no purpose. The yacht is not going to move any faster. In fact, there is no reason for you to stay up either. Kian or William are going to call us when the boat finally docks.”
“What if they think the same thing?”
Onegus lifted a brow. “Kian? William? I don’t think so.”
With that his commander toed off his boots, lifted the comforter off one of the beds, and crawled in. Thirty seconds later, his breaths slowed and deepened.
Lucky bastard. Anandur wished it was that easy for him. He tried, but it was no use. Too anxious and too agitated, he couldn’t sleep even though it was the second sleepless night in a row. Not a big deal. He could go without for another forty-eight hours and still subdue one fucking civilian without anyone’s help. So why the hell was he so worried?
It made no sense.
Maybe it was a premonition? If Syssi got them, others could as well.
He was being ridiculous.
What was next? Calling the tarot hotline and asking for a reading?
When the call finally came, Anandur was still wide awake, while Onegus was sleeping like a baby and ignoring his cellphone.
Anandur grabbed it. “What’s up?”
“Where is Onegus?” Kian asked.
“He is right here, snoring.”
“Well, good for him. Just wanted to let you know the boat will be docking in about half an hour. You should get ready.”
“Why? We need to wait until she leaves again.”
“I want you to check on the girls immediately after Turner’s team gets them, and do whatever you need to help them out. I don’t want the girls waiting around for your return. The sooner they get home, the better.”
“What if the yacht leaves while we are busy with the girls?”
“You’ll still have plenty of time until she reaches international waters. Your pilot is ready to take off on a moment’s notice.”
“Okay. I’m going to wake Sleeping Beauty up and wait for Turner’s team to report.”
What Anandur really wanted to do was hoof it to the harbor and take part in the action, maybe get a word to Lana. But like an obedient soldier, he was following orders. Which in this case meant he wasn’t going to do anything stupid.
More than two hours had passed by the time Javier called. “We got them. Four girls and three scumbags.”
“Anyone hurt?”
“The fourth scumbag. Do you care?”
“No, not really. How are the girls taking it?”
“Hysterics. We locked them in one of the bedrooms, and we are awaiting your arrival. I hope you know what you’re doing because those are four terrified little girls.”
Anandur’s blood froze in his veins. “What do you mean little girls?” he growled in a voice that could barely pass for human.
“Sixteen, maybe seventeen. I didn’t ask. They shriek like banshees whenever anyone gets close.”
“Son of a bitch,” Onegus spat.
Too distraught to try and sound human, Anandur handed Onegus the phone. Little girls. He was going to kill Alex, slowly. There would be no trial for that dirtbag motherfucker.
“We’ll be there in fifteen,” he heard Onegus say
Anandur trained his eyes on Onegus, the twin projectors illuminating his commander’s face. “I can run faster than that.”
Onegus frowned. “You need to take a deep breath and calm the fuck down. I’ve never seen your eyes glow like that. Javier might be mistaken. Or he might have exaggerated to get a quick response from us. Sixteen or seventeen could easily be eighteen or twenty.”
Not that it made much of a difference. An eighteen-year-old girl was still a child in Anandur’s eyes, but the reality was that most girls that age were already sexually active, which made it just a little less atrocious. Not as far as the intentions of those men, but as to the girls’ own perception of what had happened. Partying on a luxurious yacht, they had no idea what fate had been awaiting them.
Anandur stomped his feet into his boots, grabbed his wallet and his watch and headed for the door. “I’m waiting in the car,” he called out to Onegus, who had rushed into the
bathroom. As from this morning, their gear was stored in the helicopter, and they had nothing to take with them from the hotel.
A few minutes later his commander slid into the passenger seat of their rented car, and Anandur took off. By the grace of Lady Luck, they reached their destination without getting pulled over by the police.
There was a communal sigh of relief as they entered the living area of the small house, though audible only to their immortal ears. Each of the men had probably thought he was the only one glad to see them come in and do something about the four hysterical girls.
“Follow the sobs,” Javier pointed to the second door off the hallway. “They think we are the bad guys, and that we murdered their boyfriends and are going to do inconceivable things to them.”
Anandur wasn’t surprised.
The girls had been under the impression that they were on vacation and going out with guys to party in Acapulco. Instead, they’d been attacked by a bunch of commandos, their so-called boyfriends subdued, and all of them taken to what looked like an abandoned shack.
The key was in the door, and as Onegus twisted it in the lock and depressed the handle, the shrieks got louder. When he pushed the door open, they found the four girls huddled in the corner like a pile of scared kittens.
“Look at me,” Onegus said in a soft voice that nonetheless carried a tone of command. He was already working the thrall, pushing it as a gentle wave to induce calm.
A handy little trick Anandur would’ve loved to master. Unfortunately, his thrall was pitifully ineffective, especially on humans who had whipped themselves into a frenzy.
The shrieks stopped, and four pairs of red-rimmed, teary eyes looked up to Onegus.
He crouched, perhaps in an attempt to look less intimidating, and smiled. “You are safe, and you are going home to your families.”
One gathered the courage to ask, “Who are you people? And why did you kidnap us?”
He pointed to the living room. “These men, the ones you are terrified of, rescued you from a horrific fate. The men you were with were not nice guys. They didn’t mean you well. They purchased you from the yacht owner either for personal use or for resale.”
